Incandescent lamps have been in use for over one hundred years, and remain in widespread use. These incandescent lamps, although relatively inexpensive and easy to replace, are not very efficient at generating light. As the demand for and the cost of generating electricity has risen over the years, utility companies and governmental agencies have began promoting the use of more efficient ways to generate light. Compact fluorescent lamps generate light more efficiently than incandescent lamps. A compact fluorescent lamp generates the equivalent light output of an incandescent lamp by using only one-quarter to one-third the amount of electricity.
The Energy Star program, a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, says that if the five most frequently used light fixtures or lamps in each American home were changed to compact fluorescent lamps, energy costs would drop by at least $6.5 billion per year. This equates to a savings of about $60 per year per household. In addition, the energy savings would prevent greenhouse gases equal to the emissions from more than 8 million cars.
Certain states have enacted energy codes regulating lighting fixtures so that air leakage from the air conditioned space below the ceiling to the unconditioned space located above the ceiling is reduced. For example, The Washington State Energy Code requires recessed lighting fixtures to restrict measured air leakage to less than two cubic feet per minute (“cfm”) at seventy-five Pascals (“Pa”) pressure difference, tested according to a test method set forth in ASTM International Standard E-283.
For incandescent lamps, the requirements set forth in The Washington State Energy Code, as mentioned above, have been achieved by snapping a standard ceramic incandescent socket into the top of a trim via a spring. This configuration restricts air flow through the top opening of the trim. However, due to the size of the current standard fluorescent socket, which has a GU24 base, no one has yet conceived a solution to restrict air flow through the top opening of the trim when using a compact fluorescent lamp. For this reason, the benefits achievable from using compact fluorescent lamps have not been realized.
In view of the foregoing there is a need in the art for reducing air leakage through the top opening of a trim. Additionally, there is a need in the art for reducing air leakage through a lighting fixture to less than two cfm at seventy-five Pascal pressure difference, tested according to a test method set forth in ASTM International Standard E-283. Further, there exists a need in the art for providing an air-tight plate that is coupled to the top opening of a trim to thereby reduce air leakage from the top opening of the trim.